WASHINGTON (CNN) - New York may be Sen. Hillary Clinton’s home turf – but the man in charge, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, met this morning with Barack Obama, one of her chief rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The pair sat down for coffee and eggs in midtown Manhattan, just a quick cab ride away from former President Bill Clinton’s offices in Harlem. The mayor might be a billionaire, but Obama still paid, and left a big tip – almost 60 percent.

While Bloomberg has always spoken well of Clinton, he feels no special hometown loyalty to the senator, who failed to endorse him during his two mayoral runs, when he ran as a Republican.

Bloomberg reached out to the Obama campaign, according to campaign spokesman Bill Burton, who told CNN's Mary Snow the pair discussed issues from the economy and education to homeland security and global warming – but wouldn’t say whether the two talked about a possible presidential endorsement.

“They have a shared belief there is too much game playing in Washington and not enough problem solving,” said Burton, who added that there are no future meetings on the books.

Bloomberg, who is no longer registered to any political party, has long pledged to steer clear of national politics and the presidential campaign, but his morning meeting with the Illinois senator (which only appeared late last night on Bloomberg’s schedule, and caught many Obama-watchers by surprise), comes on the heels of a similar meal with Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, just a few days ago.

Obama and Bloomberg first met earlier this year, when the mayor came to Washington to press for more Homeland Security funding for the Big Apple.

I'm late to the party on this post. I like Obama, but I don't like many of his policies. I also think he lacks the management experience to be President. To say I'm supporting Bloomberg goes without saying. I own a website:

http://www.RunMikeRun.com

It is informational, and contains statements by politicians from both parties, notable business leaders and others regarding a possible third-party run by Mike Bloomberg. It also contains some videos of interviews and others of Mike speaking on issues.

January 7, 2008 02:18 pm at 2:18 pm |

Hawaii

Bloomberg is not looking for a running mate; he's looking for a reason to stay out of the race.
Obama's camp is using the phrase "big change." Bloomberg wants the particulars of whether Obama wants what he wants for the USA. If he can be convinced that one of the leading candidates has anywhere near the vision he has, Bloomberg can cease pondering whether the country needs him to take the office himself to make his vision happen.

I think Bloomberg wants to return to his philanthropic pursuits, but not at the expense of a country who needs him in the political arena. I think he is a true public servant- doing what he can; where he can; when he can.

January 10, 2008 09:32 pm at 9:32 pm |

Hawaii Hale

Bloomberg is not looking for a running mate; he's looking for a reason to stay out of the race.
Obama's camp is using the phrase "big change." Bloomberg wants the particulars of whether Obama wants what he wants for the USA. If he can be convinced that one of the leading candidates has anywhere near the vision he has, Bloomberg can cease pondering whether the country needs him to take the office himself to make his vision happen.

I think Bloomberg wants to return to his philanthropic pursuits, but not at the expense of a country who needs him in the political arena. I think he is a true public servant- doing what he can; where he can; when he can.